FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE
Letter from the President
Nr 51
By Prof. Bruno Grandi, FIG President July 2011
Where culture and sport meet
July 2011 is the month of the World Gymnaestrada in Lausanne, one of the most spectacular and
unique events the world of sport has to offer; spectacular because of the participation of some
22,000 gymnasts, unique by way of its cultural content.
What, you ask, does culture have to do with a large-scale sporting and gymnastic event?
Imagine a world without boarders; a place where body and soul bask in an atmosphere of
universality. Consider what would happen if cultures were to meld; if men and women, children and
seniors, the young and the old were given a chance to express the things that are important to
them, the values they hold.
Such a place exists in the FIG World Gymnaestrada. Since its creation in 1953, the World
Gymnaestrada has grown in both size and audience participation. As an international celebration,
the event responds to humanity's quest for friendship, exchange, solidarity and well-being; and
was originally launched in the aim of preserving and developing this sense of fraternity through
gymnastics for all.
At the crux of human success is motion, or, more precisely, the motility that makes life possible.
Without the ability to move about there would be no getting up in the morning, no writing, no going
places, no dancing or working. It is always about motion; and the body that embraces that can
bring artistic and cultural expression to whatever it does.
This is where that happens. Art and culture are what follow when humankind puts itself in motion.
Such is the message of this 14
th
edition of the World Gymnaestrada.
The event is more than just a gymnastic tournament; it is an answer to the dilemma of our modern
lifestyle. The Gymnaestrada fosters and cultivates exchange; it spurs and increases our
understanding of both physical and mental health; it broadens our horizons by inviting us to
embrace tolerance.
The founder of the FIG upheld these convictions as early as 1881, when he gave precedence to
collective development rather than personal victory. Today, the World Gymnaestrada excludes all
form of competition; it is, rather, the essence thereof.
Art and culture.
To those who still doubt, I would suggest you take the time to attend one of the national evenings
on the World Gymnaestrada programme. The show is fantastic and high-level. Stories are told
through choreography heavily influenced by ancient Greek theatre. Time, space, action.
And incidentally, does not the word gymnastics come from Greek?
With my compliments.
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FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE